Clarity Trumps Persuasion: How ordinary marketers are learning to - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Clarity Trumps Persuasion: How ordinary marketers are learning to write high-impact copy Dr. Flint McGlaughlin Managing Director (CEO) MECLABS

About the Presenter Dr. Flint McGlaughlin – Managing Director, MECLABS Flint McGlaughlin is the Managing Director of MECLABS. The organization has partnered with key market leaders including, The New York Times, Microsoft Corporation, and Reuters Group. Dr. McGlaughlin also serves as the Director of Enterprise Research at the Transforming Business Institute, University of Cambridge (UK), as the Chairman of the Board of Governors for St. Stephen’s University, and as a Trustee for Westminster Theological Centre. Dr. McGlaughlin originally studied Philosophy and Theology at the University of London’s Specialist Jesuit College. Today, his primary research is focused on enterprise as transformative agent. His work has won multiple awards and has been quoted in more than 13,000 online and offline sources.

PART 1: An Experiment

Experiment: Background and Design  Experiment ID: (Protected) Location: MarketingExperiments Research Library Test Protocol Number: TP1390 Research Notes: Background: Large Canadian financial institution offering a special banking package for new immigrants to Canada. To obtain this offer, visitors are led offline to a local branch. Goal: To increase the amount of branch locator starts. Primary research question: Which landing page will generate the most branch locator starts. Approach: A/B multifactor split test

Experiment: The control Landing Page – Step 1 • This original landing page was broken into two steps. In the first step, the user was basically given all the details about the banking offer. • An interactive tab menu allowed visitor to choose and read about whatever offer benefit or feature that most interested them. • The CTA states “Get Started Now” and leads to the another page that will inform them how to obtain this offer.

Experiment: The control Landing Page – Step 2 • In the second step the visitors are instructed specifically on how to open account with this financial instruction. • It all leads up to the visitor contacting a local branch (the main KPI).

Experiment: The hypothesis Control - Page 1 Control - Page 2 Our researchers hypothesized that though these pages were full of a lot of valuable information, the visitor was losing clarity about the offer due to information overload. Might the page be more effective with less copy and a laser- like focus?

Experiment: The treatment • So the treatment designed by our researchers combined only the most pertinent information contained on the two pages into one concise landing page. • The five most appealing aspects of the value proposition are listed immediately. • Directions on how to take the next steps are clear and simple.

Experiment: Side-by-side Control Treatment

Experiment: Results 200% Increase in Conversion The Treatment generated 200% more branch locator starts Versions CTR Rel. diff Stat. Conf - Control – Two-step landing page 3.56% - 99% T1 – Consolidated Landing Page 10.69% 200.13%  What you need to understand : By reducing the amount of information contained in the copy and clearly focusing on just the core aspects of value, the treatment landing page was able to increase the rate of response by 200.13%.

What you need to understand  Key Principle 1. When it comes to crafting effective copy, clarity trumps persuasion.

PART 2: A Strategy for Writing Clear Copy

A Strategy Writing Clear Copy  Key Principles There are three critical steps to crafting clear, high-impact copy: STEP 1 : Get clear about your Value Proposition The value proposition is the substance; the copy is the form. It should not be the form that persuades, but the substance. So it should not be the copy style that does the persuading, but rather it should be the value proposition .

What’s wrong with this copy? In an attempt to be • “persuasive,” the copy obscures the Value Proposition with vague qualitative statements that that comes off as arrogant and braggadocious.

Clarifying your Value Proposition Value Proposition : The primary reason why your ideal prospect should buy from you rather than your competitors. 1. You are fundamentally answering a first-person question posed in the mind of your customers. 2. Your Value Proposition is not a complete list of product/company benefits. It is a focused expression of the most compelling force inherit to your product/company value. 3. A Value Proposition cannot be all things to all people. It states the unique appeal of an offer/company to a specifically defined prospect type. 4. A Value Proposition has a specific action in mind. It is seeking to answer “why” for a specific “what.” 5. A Value Proposition must differentiate you from your competitors. In at least one way, you must have an “only” factor.

Clarifying your Value Proposition So, why should you buy from them rather than any other company? “Because we are the ONLY company that makes 26 million phone calls a year to make sure you get the most accurate mailing lists available.” How might we better express this Value Proposition clearly in the copy?

Clarifying your Value Proposition Value Proposition : “ Because we are the ONLY company that makes 26 million phone calls a year to make sure you get the most accurate mailing lists available.”

Before and After After Before

Clarifying your Value Proposition 201% Increase in Total Leads The optimized version increased capture emails by 201.3% Conversion Rate Relative Difference Original 4.86% - Optimized 14.65% 201.3%

A Strategy Writing Clear Copy  Key Principles There are three critical steps to crafting clear, high-impact copy: STEP 1 : Get clear about your Value Proposition The value proposition is the substance; the copy is the form. It should not be the form that persuades, but the substance. So it should not be the copy style that does the persuading, but rather the value proposition. . STEP 2 : Follow a framework that matches the sequence of thought Copy becomes clearer the more tightly it is synchronized to the thought sequence of the recipient.

How People Think SUB STORY Climax Climax Falling Act. Rising Act. Resolution /Exposition Exposition Resolution ACT 1 ACT 2 ACT 3 Middle (The Confrontation) End (The Resolve) Beginning (The Setup) People think in story, therefore understanding your visitor’s thought sequence comes down to understanding the basic structure of a story. Each part of the conversion process can be tied to story…

The Structure of a Story Climax Exposition Resolution ACT 1 ACT 2 ACT 3 Middle (The Confrontation) End (The Resolve) Beginning (The Setup) The Exposition: As it relates to conversion, the main story is usually set up in the channels (PPC, Email, Banners, etc.). The overarching goal of this step is to engage the visitor, start building the problem, and lead them deeper into the conversation. Keep in mind there is a sub-story surrounding step-level conversion goal (getting them to click the ad, etc.).

The Structure of a Story Climax Exposition Resolution ACT 1 ACT 2 ACT 3 Middle (The Confrontation) End (The Resolve) Beginning (The Setup) The Rising Action: As it relates to conversion, the rising action is intensified mainly through the landing page. The overarching goal is to continue intensifying the problem and present your value as the unique solution. Keep in mind there is a sub-story surrounding step-level conversion goal (getting them to click the ad, etc.).

The Structure of a Story Climax Exposition Resolution ACT 1 ACT 2 ACT 3 Middle (The Confrontation) End (The Resolve) Beginning (The Setup) The Climax: As it relates to conversion, the climax happens at the point of decision for the main conversion objective (to buy, submit information, etc.). Most of the time this happens at the call-to-action on the landing page, where the rising action is at the highest intensity.

The Structure of a Story Climax Exposition Resolution ACT 1 ACT 2 ACT 3 Middle (The Confrontation) End (The Resolve) Beginning (The Setup) The Falling Action: As it relates to conversion, the falling action occurs after the conversion commitment has been made, and consists of all the steps that might be required to actualize the decision (filling out payment info, shipping info, etc.). The falling action might be virtually absent if the payoff on the conversion commitment is actualized immediately (free digital offers, etc.).

The Structure of a Story Climax Thank you Exposition Resolution ACT 1 ACT 2 ACT 3 Middle (The Confrontation) End (The Resolve) Beginning (The Setup) The Resolution: As it relates to conversion, the resolution occurs when the visitor is aware of and satisfied with the completion (or actualization) of the value exchange. The goal is to reassure the visitor that the problem has been solved by their decision.

Connecting to Copy ? So, how does story help me write clear copy? ANSWER : By knowing where each copy element falls in the “the story,” you can carefully craft each word, sentence and paragraph to specifically match the visitor’s thought sequence.

Example: Optimization Summit Copy What’s wrong with this page?

Example: Optimization Summit Copy What’s wrong with this page?